“Good morning, Sir!” Shawn said, followed by a slew of good mornings from the others.
I grunted noncommittally and took a sip of the coffee.
To my surprise, Reid threw an arm around my shoulders and dropped a kiss to my jaw.
It was…a lot. A lot to process so early. A lot to process because it was him. Reid fucking McKinley, the only man who’d rendered me speechless upon introduction. He’d probably thought I’d been an awkward dork back then. Late bloomer, my mother had promised.
I side-eyed him as he flashed me a smile, and I didn’t understand why he was so casual about this. The only thing I could think of…? His feelings matched his expression. To him, this wasn’t a big deal, just some vacation fun.
“Drink up—we’re leaving soon. And get dressed.” He touched my stomach and rumbled a playful growl against my cheek. “You’re too sexy without clothes.”
Fuck me. I coughed around a breath and stared at him. Who was he? What the hell was he doing?
“You’re pickin’ low-hanging fruit by fucking with my head at this hour,” I muttered.
“At this hour?” he chuckled. “It’s nine thirty. Besides, I’m not fuckin’ with your head. When I do, you won’t notice it.”
I rolled my eyes—but I had to fight a reluctant grin. It was admittedly a good joke.
He smiled and leaned in, and I evidently couldn’t fucking help myself. I kissed him, because we were doing that now.
“So is this happening or not?” LC asked. “I mean, we’ve had our guesses over the years, but…”
Reid broke the kiss and glanced over at him. “Y’all can keep on guessing. Are you guys almost done? We gotta go in ten.”
In ten? Wait, where?
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Reid answered me. “I texted Lane—since he and Ty have a house down here—and he gave me the coordinates to an uninhabited island south of Naples. It’s supposedly perfect for a takedown event.”
“We’re renting a boat!” Cas announced happily.
“It’s a two-hour drive straight through the swamp, and then we’re picking up the boat at noon,” Reid confirmed.
“I’m obviously on Team Spend the Night on the Island,” Sam said, jerking his thumb at Carl and Garrick. “They’re not.”
“We’ll play it by ear,” Reid reasoned. “First, we gotta get there. So pack up, get dressed—and boys, shine your assholes.”
Jesus Christ.
Sam, Rome, and Brad cracked up. Meanwhile, Cas started dancing to an imaginary sexy beat.
“My butthole shines bright like a diamond!”
Yeah, okay. I needed more coffee.
A few hours later, I…I was really feeling the escape from reality. Reid and I shared the seating area in the back of the speedboat with Carl and Garrick, while the others stuck close to Sam, who was driving and making the brats laugh whenever we hit a wave.
The sun felt great on my chest, the beer was cold, the jerky was good, the water was bright blue, and Reid was touchy-feely, keeping a hand on my thigh or an arm around my shoulders.
A guy could get used to this.
The question was if I could get over it.
The closer we got to the island, the more my brain forced me tothink. An unpleasant activity on vacation.He’s gonna fuck you. He’s gonna take you the way you’ve only fantasized about. And then what? You’re gonna go home and go back to normal?
Reid lifted his feet and planted them over my lap, then promptly leaned back and took a swig of his beer. The wind combed his sun-kissed hair back, and he had the most relaxed smile on his face. Shades on, tee off. Cargo shorts pockets filled with snacks. He’d already dug out one fun-sized bag of chips and a Ziploc bag with cashews. Who knew what else he had in there.
